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editor's note

Tanya Chaitanya (Editor Femina India)

For every doubting Thomas who tells you women can’t scale mountains, wrestle in the ring, endure physical hardship, your comeback should be a simple hashtag:#StandStrong.
There’s no bigger retaliation than success, they say. So show your calibre to these detractors or anybody who believes that we, as women, lack the potential to be physically as fit as men by being just that. Not to say that it will be an easy process.
The conditioning that we are not at par physically starts early. From the time we are offered a hand to bring down the cookie jar to when we are told not to lift too heavy a weight; when the sports selectors in schools bypass promising girl children or when the male friends refuse to count us in in any serious hiking plans—that feeling of being physically less is ingrained right from the beginning.
So how is it that we witness sportswomen like Mary Kom packing a punch in the arena or a badminton champ like PV Sindhu physically pushing herself to the limits? Or the fact that celebs like Jacqueline Fernandez, Taapsee Pannu, Katrina Kaif swear by their fitness routine and are known to train for longer hours than their male counterparts?
Then again look beyond these superwomen. Look around you. There are regular women storming into male bastions, physically-challenging professions and pursuits, and coming out triumphant. This new-found confidence comes with taking care of yourself, being cognizant of the fact that our body needs to be given TLC, from the right diet and nutrition to exercise and care to help us stand strong.
This is when I raise a toast: Here’s to strong women. May we know them, may we be them, may we raise them!

Have you seen Monica Dogra’s Shiver yet?

After a long wait, Monica Dogra released the much talked-about music video, Shiver, from her latest music album, Spit this Monday. Apart from being a visual delight and one of her most controversial ventures till date, this video also throws light on the stereotypes women, especially from the LGBTQ community have to deal with. The video opens with a young girl stepping into a theatre while auditions seem to be on. As she walks her way up to the stage, she notices characters depicting an array of feminine expressions deemed appropriate for a woman. The question Dogra raises is simple: Do these protected characters, women, truly want to be other'ed simply because they are different? Through the powerful visuals and a spine-chilling narrative, Monica appeals to decriminalise all consensual acts of sex regardless of gender identification.

A while back Monica had posted a message on her official Facebook page asking for a donation for a sum of Rs 50 lakhs through crowd funding for the production of this video. Sceptical fans criticised Monica for raising funds for a music video where this money could easily be used to help the LGBTQ community instead. She soon reacted to this in an interview saying, “Why is it okay to spend tens of crores on a Bollywood fantasy song-and-dance, but not okay to have a Rs 50 lakh project for a music video on transgender visibility? Please note, none of the funds are being pocketed by me or the team. The social stigma around the TG community is still too deep and unless we translate the issue into popular culture and conversation, no law can actually become effective.”

Speaking on the release, Monica said, "Shiver is my largest collaborative effort to date. My hope is that this art will quietly enter people hearts and minds, starting very necessary conversation. But for me, the gift was just creating it. That was just pure magic".